Signup | Login | Haunted House Owners
 

The HHC Top 10 Project

HauntedHouseChicago.com is pleased to present the favorite Halloween/Haunt Picks of the movers and shakers of the haunted house industry and luminaries in the dark Chicago scene.

D. E. CHRISTMAN | CHRYSTYNE | JOHN EVERSON | RON FITZGERALD | GEOFFREY GRAVES
KITTY ZOMBIE | KRISTIN | DEANNA MORTON | CHAD SAVAGE | KRIS ZAHROBSKY

 

D. E. CHRISTMAN'S TOP 10 HALLOWEEN PICKS

D. E. Christman is a dark artist, the man behind the Grendel's Den Design Studio, The Philly Zombie Crawl & Zombie Prom, and numerous other nefarious projects.

TOP 10 HALLOWEEN MOVIES

  1. Poltergeist (It's filled with frigging ghosts out the wazoo. Can't get more Halloween than that.)
  2. Halloween (1978)
  3. The Exorcist (So sacraliciouses and creepy. May not have anything to do with Halloween but it is one of the best horror films ever.)
  4. It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!
  5. The Nightmare Before Christmas
  6. Halloween (2007)
  7. Return of the Living Dead (The dead coming back to life to eat your brains! And one of them is Linnea Quigley! Oh hells yeah, I like it spooky!)
  8. Beetlejuice
  9. Night of the Demons
  10. Sleepy Hollow

TOP 10 HALLOWEEN CDS

  1. The Nightmare Before Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  2. Halloween Hootenanny (various artists)
  3. The Return Of The Living Dead: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  4. Spook Along With Zacherley
  5. Cheat The Devil by The Young Werewolves
  6. Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo
  7. Suspiria: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  8. Bloody Kisses by Type O Negative
  9. Purifying Fire by Lustmord
  10. Bram Stoker's Dracula: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

 

CHRYSTYNE'S FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

Chrystyne is a local Chicago model, artist and bon vivant. She is Director of the Annual Halloween Art Exhibit and, believe it or not, the poster-monster for The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier!
http://www.chrystyne.com

"A large part of me will always associate Halloween with my childhood, so most of my choices are comical or light-hearted in nature. For this reason, I chose to leave out films that are more artsy/scary (i.e. The Legend of Hell House and The Shining)."

  1. The Mad Monster Party. Rankin Bass + monsters + Boris Karloff= a no brainer #1.
  2. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. A favorite in the "stepfather father & daughter" movie night repertoire--especially around Halloween. Fond memories :)
  3. The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The perfect Halloween party movie--it's one of those films that gets people going. Push play, sit back, and watch what happens! 9 times out of 10 you will hear a confession from a guest that he/she was a cast member at one point. This generally leads to some "war stories," that will liven up any gathering.
  4. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. How could I NOT include this?!
  5. The Bride of Frankenstein. Yet another movie night favorite for my stepfather and I. After he introduced me to this film in the late 80s, I used to pretend I was Elsa. I actually used to practice The Bride's signature twitch in my room!
  6. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Dark, sweet, and sticky--just like my favorite Halloween candies. Mmmmm-mmm!
  7. Elvira-Mistress of the Dark. I was thrilled that my folks let me watch this when I was a kid. I wasn't allowed to watch R movies, so it was a BIG deal. During the "tassel" scene, my mom told me to cover my eyes, but of course I peeked, LOL. Oh, the strange sensations I felt! The laughter! The shame! The...tantalization! 13 years later, I became a fetish model. Figures.
  8. Labyrinth - This movie is an all-around wet dream and contains the most enchanting masquerade scene EVER! Jareth's ball has the ingredients for a killer Halloween party: majesty, romance, and spectacle. *swoon*
  9. The Haunted Mansion Special Edition DVD (extinctattractions.com) - When I was growing up, the Disney Channel aired specials that explored the creative process behind their animated films, theme parks, and attractions. These segments were some of my after school favorites! Since I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the arts, it was inspirational to look into the world of the Imaganeers and see how they brought things to life. "The Haunted Mansion Special Edition" DVD is in the same vein and includes exclusive interviews, footage, and snapshots. Although it's not a movie, I had to list it because it is so damned interesting.
  10. The Worst Witch. A cheesy 80s classic that stars two of my favorite actors- Tim Curry and Fairuza Balk! Be sure to look up "Anything Can Happen on Halloween" on YouTube and prepare to be enchanted. All that's missing is a unicorn and a chick in fishnets walking through sparks.

 

JOHN EVERSON'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

John Everson is the Chicago-based Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the novels Covenant (Leisure Books, 2008) and Sacrifice (Leisure Books, 2009). http://www.johneverson.com

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

OK, so I've watched hundreds of horror movies, but after the fact, I rarely remember very much about them besides whether I loved or hated. So some of these may not actually have anything to do with Halloween except in my mind; hence my rationalizations afterwards...

  1. Beetlejuice - aside from the classic melding of ghastly dancing to Harry Belafonte and including Michael Keaton's most memorable performance EVER, this move features ghosts "dressing up as ghosts" in sheets to scare people. That gets me every time.
  2. Edward Scissorhands - Tim Burton is my Halloween visual hero and Edward offers Vincent Price as a "Frankenstein" and a boy with blades for hands. Brilliance!
  3. The Nightmare Before Christmas - You can easily justify watching this animated flick over and over again from Halloween to Christmas - extending the pumpkin love a full quarter of the year!!!
  4. Halloween - OK... serious horror. And one of the best - not because of blood, but because of the THREAT of it -- plus, a perfectly simple, creepy theme and a gutload of suspense. Now that's a horror movie.
  5. House of 1,000 Corpses -- a lot of people panned this flick but for me, it was a non-stop haunted house ride on film. Love it!
  6. Suspiria -- another movie that's like living through a haunted house, as our heroine survives hell in a girl's school and the first of Dario Argento's "three witches".
  7. Evil Dead 2 - OK... this may or may not take place on Halloween, but it's in an old shack in the woods in the fall.. so it has to be NEAR Halloween. And there are ghouls and chainsaws and a Book of the Dead... it's the perfect film to watch ON Halloween whether the film's events take place then or not.
  8. The Shining -- Where Zombie's haunted house flick is a hatchet to the head, Kubrick's is more like a thin needle through the ear -- this is the ultimate "haunted house" on film. Only Kubrick could make a monolithic hotel feel claustrophobic.
  9. Ginger Snaps -- one of the only werewolf movies out there with real bite. And of course, it begins during the full moon of October when a bite and subsequent werewolf transformation serve as the metaphor for Ginger's first period and transformation into womanhood. Can any girl survive that?
  10. Shaun of the Dead -- just because, nothing says Halloween like a zombie flick. A really, really funny zombie flick. With ascerbic social commentary, love on the rocks and a last stand in a bar.  This actually ties on my list with Dead Alive, but my son's name is Shaun so... Shaun wins!

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN CDS

Music should set a mood. It doesn't have to overtly be songs about skeletons and witches, but rather,  just set a vibe that makes things feel a little off-kilter... spiralling downward... I could have picked out lots of  fine  goth bands  to populate this list -- from Joy Division to Bauhaus to Cruxshadows... but here are the things I light a candle to most when I want to take a midnight ride...

  1. This Mortal Coil - It'll End in Tears -- beautifully haunting, melancholy renditions of both old and new songs by the most avant garde 4AD label artists of the '80s. With the sonic loops, cryptian strings and echoing vocals, this is great Halloween season fare. Play this graveside with a guttering black candle and you'll raise the dead.
  2. This Mortal Coil - Filigree and Shadow -- do you sense a theme? This one's a double album of dark disturbing grace.
  3. Various Artists - Lonely is an Eyesore -- an early 4AD compilation featuring some of the hippest darkest acts of '80s pop -- Colourbox, This Mortal Coil, The Wolfgang Press, Throwing Muses, Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz and Clan of Xymox.
  4. Elysian Fields - Bleed Your Cedar -- slipstream ethereal beauty with a dark core of hidden fire.
  5. Dream Theater -- Scenes From A Memory -- a hard rock concept album about someone going under hypnosis to rediscover a past life where a love triangle went wrong and resulted in murder - it's like listening to a black and white noir horror movie turned 3D.
  6. Nick Cave - Murder Ballads. It's Nick Cave. Singing about murders. Need I say more?
  7. The Cure - Bloodflowers. I was going to say Disintegration, but you know... they did that disc one better with the layered pathos of 'flowers. It's a dark mood album, start to finish.
  8. Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe -- because when he's not making haunted house movies, he's making haunted house albums.

 

MASTER RON FITZGERALD'S TOP HALLOWEEN MOVIES

  1. Ron Fitzgerald is a Chicago-based gothic illusionist and actor. Find out more at Fitzgerald's Realm of Magic.
  2. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (She's the Queen of Halloween!!!)
  3. Halloween (Duh, it's all in the title.)
  4. The Nightmare Before Chistmas (The Pumpkin King rules!)
  5. Nightmare on Elm Street ( Freddy is fun and creepy and a great Halloween costume!)
  6. Beetlejuice ( Ghouls gone wild!)
  7. The Exorcist (It just keeps getting funnier every time I see it!!!)
  8. Hellraiser (Pinhead loves to Trick or Treat.)
  9. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Who doesn't want to do the Time Warp at Halloween?)
  10. Fright Night (It's all in the title )
  11. Trick or Treat ( Cheesy 80's fun with Gene Simmons!)

 

KITTY ZOMBIE'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Kitty is the zombie shock trooper with the brain of a puppy that you'll find wandering around outside The Fear Haunted House and at many a ZombiePinups.com event! www.kittyzombie.com

This is Kittys top 10 movies he LOVES to watch on or around Halloween. Fun, silly and sometimes a tad dark. Just like Kitty himself!

  1. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
  2. Vincent
  3. Casper
  4. The Nighmare Before Christmas
  5. Disney's Sleepy Hollow
  6. Addams Family
  7. Beetlejuice
  8. Frankenweenie
  9. Monster House
  10. Scary Godmother

 

GEOFFREY GRAVES' TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Geoffrey Graves is a Chicago-based special effects make-up artist and sculptor, as well as being the man behind Spooky/Halloween Buttons! http://www.spookybuttons.com / http://www.halloweenbuttons.com

So whenever this time of year comes around, I start waxing nostalgic. There is something in the air that just makes me think of the years past of  trick or treating, hot apple cider and pumpkin patches on cool days. So many of my picks are older movies with a special place in my heart. And I love the fun side of Halloween as well as the horror side. Actually, as much as I like a good horror movie, I think I like a good wonderfully dark and silly movie more. I can't tell you how many times I have LISTENED to these movies, let alone actually watched them. (hey, when you are in the studio making monsters, you need something to keep you going at times!) There is no single order that these are in, I love them all for different rerasons. And every October, I watch them all!!!

  1. Halloween (the original)
  2. The Exorcist
  3. House of 1,000 Corpses
  4. Shawn of the Dead
  5. Return of the Living Dead
  6. A Nightmare on Elm Street
  7. Fright Night
  8. Transylvania 6-5000
  9. Young Frankenstein
  10. Th Haunted Mansion (the Disney Land ride is my fave place on earth!!)
  11. Michael Jacksons Thriller deserves special mention here. it WAS a movie in my mind, and is one of the reasons I became a SPFX artist!

 

KRISTIN'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Kristin is a Chicago-area dark artist, runs the fantastic Yahoo! Group Chicago Creepster, an excellent source for information about all things spooky in and around Chicago, and is very active in the horror scene in Chicago.

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

Halloween always puts me in a mood for slashers, but they're always on tv so I'm choosing the favorite films that I'm always itching to see all year long but never take the time to enjoy. October is self-indulgent month!

  1. LADY IN WHITE - My all-time favorite film centered around Halloween. The right elements of gothic melodrama make this the perfect innocent ghost story that remains golden to this day. Makes you miss being a kid.
  2. PET SEMATARY - Another golden creepy classic that has everything you'd ever want in a spooky film...and how DARE they remake this?!? (Set to be released in 2010-Grr...)
  3. PUMPKINHEAD - A wonderful dark fairy tale with the coolest monster f/x I've ever seen, courtesy of artist/film's director, Stan Winston. (R.I.P.)
  4. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD - This was my favorite flick to bring to sleepovers as a teen (which annoyed my friends greatly) and the best punk rock party movie which makes me proud to be a part of its massive cult following...plus the coolest poster ever!
  5. NIGHTBREED - Monsters and madness in their most beautiful form. Thank you, Clive Barker, you've made me a believer of Midian.
  6. FLATLINERS - Cheesy, I suppose, but this takes place during Halloween and for its time was pretty well done. Shot in Chicago, too! Love it.
  7. HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II - Again, Clive gives us blood, beauty, gore and pain all in one lovely, perfect horror film. Can anyone's imagination top his? I don't think so. His mind greatly inspires my artwork as well.
  8. NEAR DARK - My favorite vampire film that never mentions the word vampire. Gritty, rebellious and funny: guns, burnt skin, spontaneous combustion, great soundtrack, & the coolest kickass characters you'd never want to meet in a bar. I've never seen anything else like it.
  9. MONSTER HOUSE - Amazing computer animation, great for Halloween.
  10. Bizarre FRANKENSTEIN flicks - Sorry, I couldn't narrow it down. The weirder, the better: FRANKENHOOKER, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, FLESH for FRANKENSTEIN, FRANKENTHUMB, etc.

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN CDS

  1. HALLOWEEN HOOTENANNY (No spookster should be without! Rob Zombie illustrations/art design...and killer surf music)
  2. PSYCHOCHARGER-Curse of the Psycho (Songs like "Graverobbers from Outer Space," "Redneck Zombies," and my pal Eric Pigors (TOXIC TOONS fiend art) performs voiceover on "Channel 13"..sounding like the Cryptkeeper!
  3. GOBLIN-Suspiria soundtrack
  4. HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES soundtrack
  5. SKINNY PUPPY-Too Dark Park (oh yes, full of fright!)
  6. HELLRAISER/HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II - both composed by Christopher Young
  7. ALIEN SEX FIEND-Drive My Rocket ("Now I'm Feeling Zombified")
  8. MINISTRY-Psalm 69 ("Scarecrow" is a good one to listen to as the dark orange Halloween sky welcomes the bats flying over your head!)
  9. SLAYER-Seasons in the Abyss ("Dance with the dead in my dreams...")
  10. DANZIG-Lucifuge

 

DEANNA MORTON'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Deanna Morton is the Secretary for the International Association of Haunted Attractions, moderates the Haunt Club Chicago Yahoo! Group and has been a successful home haunter for many years.

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

  1. Dracula
  2. The Mummy
  3. Frankenstein
  4. The Wolfman When I was a wee tot, my dad would wake me up late to watch the original Svengoolie on Chicago's Creature Feature, and these early films were those that really captured my imagination.  They soon became my imaginary friends.  Basically, they set the theme of my life.
  5. Hocus Pocus - 'cause a VIRGIN lit the black flame candle!
  6. Sleepy Hollow - Tim Burton.. 'nuff said.
  7. Young Frankenstein - A hilarious classic!
  8. Nightmare Before Christmas - It's all about the Pumpkin King!
  9. Nosferatu - amazing silent, original score, or with the various Gothic Industrial Scores
  10. Tie Between Coppola's Dracula & Underworld... both for their freaky gothic costumes & sets.

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN CDS

  • Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack
  • Sleepy Hollow Soundtrack
  • Coppola's Dracula Soundtrack
  • Clive Manor - Michael Hedstrom
  • Black Cat 13 - Michael Hedstrom
  • Vampyre - Midnight Syndicate
  • 13th Hour - Midnight Syndicate
  • Darklore Manor - Nox Arcana
  • Ironstock Soundtrack - Various (Parodies of well known classic songs with a haunt/prop/home haunt theme)
  • Oculus Infernum - Van Helsing's Curse

FAVORITE HAUNTED HOUSES IN OR AROUND CHICAGOLAND

Argh!  It's SO hard to pick!  This year I've only gone to a few haunts, & none in the immediate Chicagoland areas.  In the past I've enjoyed:

  • Dream Reapers
  • Eleventh Hour
  • Rockford Screamfest
  • Raven's Grin Inn - not your typical *haunt* but creepy beyond belief.
  • I'm hoping to get to Statesville & The Fear at Navy Pier this year.
  • In Wisconsin, I enjoy Terror on the Fox & Wisconsin Feargrounds

 

CHAD SAVAGE'S FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

I couldn't just do one list; I watch way too many movies and I'm way too into Halloween to only pick 10!

CHAD SAVAGE'S TOP 10 KID-FRIENDLY HALLOWEEN DVDS

These are all movies set on or around Halloween

  1. It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
  2. Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (aka The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
  3. The Nightmare Before Christmas
  4. Monster House
  5. Hocus Pocus
  6. The Haunted Mansion
  7. Casper
  8. Disney's House of Villains
  9. Scary Godmother 1 & 2
  10. Disney's Halloweentown 1 & 2
  11. (Does Anybody Remember Halloween Is Grinch Night?)

CHAD SAVAGE'S AWESOME '80's HALLOWEEN DVDS

These are all movies set on or around Halloween

  1. Night of the Demons
  2. Trick or Treat
  3. Hell Night
  4. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
  5. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
  6. Something Wicked This Way Comes
  7. Monster Squad

CHAD SAVAGE'S ADULT HALLOWEEN TOP 10

These are all movies set on or around Halloween

  1. Halloween 1 & 2
  2. The Crow
  3. Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow
  4. Idle Hands
  5. Practical Magic
  6. House of 1000 Corpses
  7. May
  8. Donnie Darko
  9. Boo
  10. The Addams Family

CHAD SAVAGE'S ANNUAL HALLOWEEN ESSENTIAL VIEWING DVDS

These are just the movies that I tend to watch every year through September & October

  1. Friday the 13th : ALL OF THEM
  2. A Nightmare on Elm Street : ALL OF THEM
  3. Phantasm : ALL OF THEM
  4. Hellraiser : ALL OF THEM
  5. Nightbreed
  6. Halloween : ALL OF THEM
  7. Texas Chainsaw Massacre : ALL OF THEM
  8. The Funhouse
  9. Re-Animator : ALL OF THEM
  10. Lots and lots of other horror movies - yeah - ALL OF THEM!!!

KRIS ZAHROBSKY'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Kris Zahrobsky is the founder and lead reviewer for HauntedHouseChicago.com

  1. Halloween (1978) Without a doubt. The first horror movie that I ever loved. Beside the great story, setting, and unbelievable talent, this movie gave birth to Michael Myers. Arguably the greatest horror villain of all-time, he was more to me than just a slasher like Freddy or Jason; he was intelligent. Yes, he was able to get hit, burned, stabbed, and 500 other ways of being killed. Yes, he kept the relentless pursuit of his victims. But, he didn't do it like a Mack Truck. He was somewhat creative and seemed to plot, plan and use deception. Never have I been so proud to be from Illinois.
  2. Night of the Living Dead (1968) "They're coming to get you, Barbara." What a great line! This is one of the best of zombie movies of all time. What really makes this film great is the feeling of hopelessness that is conveyed to the viewer. With this apocaly ptic approach, the film succeeds on so many levels. Not to mention, it definitely makes you think twice about buying that old farm house near the graveyard...
  3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) This movie has everything a perfect horror movie should have... and then it adds that little disclaimer in the beginning that it was based on true e vents. Talk about crossing that dimension! And just think of that pig squeal and steel door slamming... and then add in those picturesque views of the skulls and corpse pieces. Absolutely horror at some of its greatest!
  4. House of 1,000 Corpses (2003) / The Devil's Rejects (2005) I absolutely love Rob Zombie movies. These stand out to me for so many reasons: great settings, scenes and camera work, combined with perfectly casted actors for the amazing characters he has created. Sure, it may lots in common with a ton of other movies, but then again, what modern movies don't? The Firefly Family is easily in my top 3 horror movie villains of all time.
  5. 28 Days Later (2002) Yes, it has so much in common with Night of the Living Dead/Dawn of the Dead. But for me, this movie is just so much more powerful. From the opening scenes of isolation in a lifeless urban center, to the relentless pursuit of mindless, flesh-hungry zombies, this movie is very much THE modern zombie flick. In a beautiful balance, it mixes biolog ical chemical warfare and countless corpses that just won't stay dead.
  6. The Blair Witch Project (1999) This movie changed the game and set the standard for a ton of movies that followed. Even though the camera work is horrible and you often get violently ill with motion sickness, the suspense is unimaginable. (Not to mention, it does all of t his and you never even meet the movie's namesake!) Oh and then, there's that little disclaimer about it being real. Definitely makes you think twice about going camping...
  7. The Ring (2002) "...7 Days..." What a disturbing phone call! What a disturbing video! Talk about some general disturbing images throughout this movie... it's freaky and it's great. It will make the hair stand on the back of your neck and your butt on the edge of the seat. From a monochrome ghost girl crawling out of the TV to the horse head and fly that won't sit still, this is a roller coaster of a suspense-mystery that delivers.
  8. Saw (2004) What a mind f*ck! I love how this movie works its magic. Never before have I thoroughly enjoyed watching a flick filmed basically in one room. Plus, the fact that the setup isn't really all that crazy. We aren't dealing with a super-invincible baddy here. We're dealing with a crippled and hobbled man in a skeleton body who can barely breathe on his own. Oh, but I forgot to mention, he20happens to be a genius, has seemingly endless resources, and is the Thomas Edison of torture devices.
  9. The Crow (1994) Besides being a great Halloween movie, this is just a great movie in general. A heartwarming story with a dark hero who fights for what's right and the woman he loves...even in death. Using a specialized color scheme, this movie comes across a s dark and haunting, with the tones of light and hope shining through Brandon Lee and Co. Vindication never felt (or looked) so good.
  10. The Strangers (2008) (Ok, I have to admit. I was absolutely debating on this one. The movie just came out a few months ago and I wasn't just quite sure if it was in my top 10. I knew I liked it, but I had to really think about HOW much I liked it. Well, as you can plainly see, I decided to include it on my list.)
    Of all the horror movies out there, this one sets itself apart. While it employs many of the tactics others have used, it blends them smoothly and then adds in its own little spice. I think what really makes it scary is how realistic it could be... (Not to mention, it also was based off of true events.) No super villains, no invincible baddies, no resurrected meatsacks. Just real people in a real setting. While it can be slow and quiet at times, it is extremely powerful and effective.Of all the horror movies I have seen, this does everything it is supposed to: its makes me turn on the lights, check the closet, and make sure the door is locked.

Mailing List | Message Board | Links | About HHC | Advertising | Legal | Submit Your Haunt | Contact
HHC on MySpace.com | HHC on Twitter.com | HHC on Facebook
Proud Member of the Zombie Army Everything Sinister - Where Dark Art, Horror and Halloween Collide! IAHAweb.com - The International Association of Haunted Attractions. Scream as One!